Luau provides a backbone for disseminating software
updates throughout a software project's userbase. It
differs from other autoupdate solutions (eg. apt,
Red Hat Network) in that it works on a decentralized
basis: developers provide a "Luau Repository" file describing all currently available packages and updates which is then downloaded and interpreted by the client. It is also more flexible in that individual developers can distribute not only software updates but messages throughout the userbase, which can be used to inform users of important security updates, new software roadmaps, or anything else the developer thinks is important for users of the software package. Also provided is an X front-end ('luau-x') and a console-based front-end ('luau') that allow the user to check for and download or install updates for all supported software.